


Baby, all I know to do is speak right from the heart

by toboldlydammitjim



Series: Honey Bee [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2014-03-14
Packaged: 2018-01-15 17:23:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1313086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toboldlydammitjim/pseuds/toboldlydammitjim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim finally tells Bones the story of the Infamous Kirk Family Bee Hives.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby, all I know to do is speak right from the heart

“So, you never really told me, why does the Kirk farm have bees?” Bones drawls out. They’re sitting on the deck of the Kirk farmstead. Jim finally dragged Bones out to see the ‘infamous Kirk bee hives’ and the thick beekeeping suits and Iowa summer heat only mix for so long. They’ve shucked the majority of the coverings and are relaxing a safe distance from the hive sipping the cold iced tea Winona brought them, sweetened of course, with honey.

“Do you want the simple answer, or the real one?” Jim asks, eyes going a little distant as he averts his gaze from Bones out towards the field.

Bones places his glass down on the deck and watches the condensation drip down on the boards for a moment. He knows both of them haven’t really talked much about their past. He isn’t sure if he’s crossing a line in asking Jim about his. Even the brief glimpses he’s seen have shown him old wounds, and Bones knows how he feels about people digging in his own.

Bones reaches out and places his hand on Jim’s leg, bringing the kid’s gaze back in from the fields. “I’d like the real one Jim, but I’ll listen to which ever one you’d like to tell me” he states, simply and honestly.

Jim exhales a shaky breath. “Alright Bones, it’s kinda a long one, but it begins with my dad George buying the bees for my mom…”

_George Kirk purchased honey bees as an anniversary gift for his wife the same year their son was born. To the casual observer this seems like a strange gift. In fact Winona said as much when her husband brought them home. However it ended up being perfect. Something she would have never thought of for herself, but something she loved instantly. George always did know her better than she knew herself._

“They really were in love Bones, I don’t remember much of my Dad but the things I do remember revolve around those bees.”

_The first time George and Winona tried to make honey they made a mess of if. George insisted they didn’t need directions, Winona teased him for days after. The kitchen counter ended up coated in mushy honeycomb. Their hands left a sticky trail of honey on everything they touched, including each other. The smell of honey lingered on in the kitchen long after they finally managed to clean it up._

_Jim doesn’t remember this because he was barely a year old, but he watched it all from his own sticky highchair._

_He may not recall these exact moments but three things stand out in Jim’s earliest memories: The feel of the rough fabric of the strange white bee suits when George swooped him up in his arms, the sound of Winona’s laughter, and the taste and smell of fresh honey._

“When my Dad died, my Mom stopped harvesting the honey. I guess she couldn’t bare to face another reminder of what she’d lost. I was 6. I didn’t really understand. I remember I would ask why we didn’t have fresh honey anymore, and she’d cry. When I asked her if we could go see the bees she’d smile sadly and tell me maybe another day. Around the time I turned 10, I stopped asking.”

Jim’s expression looks pained and Bones doesn’t want to interrupt him, but he nuzzles his head just under Jim’s jaw and offers a soft kiss of reassurance. Jim’s arms circle around him and pull him close.

“It wasn’t a great few years between me and my mom. It was just us two on this farm. Everything was falling apart. I couldn’t make her smile. Some days she couldn’t even look me in the eye. I was reckless because whenever I got in trouble she was always there for comfort me. But what I really wanted was to see her smile again. Around the time I turned 16, I found the old beekeeping suit shoved in the corner of one of our storage sheds. It was all torn up and it wasn’t even white anymore, but I pulled it on and decided then and there I was going to go find the bees. I still connected the thought of her smile with honey.”

_Jim tackles the bees like he tackles everything. Without a plan. He’s wrapped his hand around a broken piece of wood in the structure ready to pull it out when he feels a sharp pain near his wrist. The bees are still home. And the suit is 10 years old. One little rip is all it takes for Jim to get stung._

Bones groans because he knows what’s coming, because 16-year-old Jim might not have known then he was allergic to bees, but current-day Bones does.

“Growing up on a farm with a million allergies, I learned quickly what allergic reactions feel like. My mom never tried to keep me in the house but she did make sure I always had my EpiPen. So I narrowly avoided a full blown allergic reaction. But I still had to face my mom’s reaction when I came back inside, she’d gotten pretty good at recognizing when I’d almost had an attack.”

_“Do I need to call the hospital?”_

_“No mom, I’m okay. Turns out I’m allergic to bees though.”_

_“Bees...” She doesn’t look angry anymore, just as if she’s finally putting the pieces together. Jim can see the emotions dancing across her face, the ghost of a smile before it’s chased away by old pain._

_“I remember,” he says quietly, “you and dad and the bees. I remember we were happy. I wanted us to be happy again. I didn’t even know him, and I miss him.”_

Ji _m mother meets his eyes and she must see something new there because for once she holds his gaze. “I do too, Jimmy. He loved you. He loved us. He bought those stupid bees for us. It was supposed to be our ‘new adventure’ as a family.”_

_“Why can’t it still be?” Jim asks, eyes shining with hope._

_“We just discovered you’re allergic to the bees!” Jim knows that look, she’s resisting the urge to ruffle his hair._

_“They’re Dad’s bees though. I only got stung because I didn’t know what I was doing. I know you remember how. Please?” Jim doesn’t think he’s ever wanted something more than he wants this. He can’t explain it. It just feels right._

_“Goodness knows Jim I’m going to live to regret this. But yes.” She sighs. “I don’t know if your Daddy’d be laughing at me for worrying so much, or kicking me for putting you in danger, but I’ll take care of the bees with you, I’ll teach you to make the damn honey too, just, be careful and for god sakes, get another EpiPen ready.”_

 

“She was pretty torn up about the idea but I promised her I’d ‘Bee careful’.”

Bones can hear the smile in Jim’s voice. Jim made that same promise, bad pun and all, to him not to long ago. He pulls away from where he’s cuddled against Jim to seek out his face. Jim’s grin is probably an echo of the same one he wore all those years ago and Bones thinks he knows why his mother couldn’t turn him down.

“I don’t know what to say Jim,” Bones offers finally. “I had no idea the bees had so much history with your family. ”

“It’s not a big deal” Jim answers ducking his head.

They sit there silently for just a few moments. Until Bones can’t keep in the words any longer. “It is, Jim. It is a big deal. Thank you for telling me. And thank you for showing them to me. You’re amazing. And I think,” he takes a deep breath, it’s now or never, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

It’s Jim’s turn to catch his breath. “Bones, I - uh, at the risk of sounding cliche, I think I may have started falling for you the first day you came to my honey stand. When I found out you were a doctor I couldn’t imagine what you could see in a stupid roadside honey stand, but you kept coming back and I knew I didn’t want to let you go.”

\--

Winona’s in the open doorway holding a fresh pitcher of tea. However at the sound of her husband’s name on Jim’s lips she’d frozen as if she’d actually seen a ghost.

Winona’s never heard Jim talk about George with anyone, although she remembers that day when Jim was 16 like it was yesterday. When she’d finally looked into Jim’s eyes and been able to see not just the ghost of her dead husband but also the future of their son.

Now she’s aware of the way those same blue eyes are looking at the man next to him. She feels like she’s intruding on something special.

She smiles to herself as she turns back into the house. The iced tea can wait.

Winona thinks she ought to thank George yet again for the perfect gift. Looks like those stupid bees have worked their magic yet again, to bring love into her son’s life. Only George would find a way to take care of their son even without being there.

**Author's Note:**

> The titles of all of these come from Honey Bee by Blake Shelton, the music video is the original inspiration for this fic.


End file.
